Musical toy



{Nze Model.)

lil B. BALD'WN.

MUSICAL TOY.

No. 350,521. Ptnted 001;. 12,1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

NATHANIEL BATES BALDVIN, OF HYDE PARK, ILLINOIS.

MUSICAL TOY..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,521, dated October12, 1886.

Application filed October 14, 1885. Serial N0.1T9,8E5. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Bc it known that i, NATHANTEL Barns BALD- WIN, a citizen ol" the UnitedStates, and a resident of Hyde Iarlr, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in MusicalToys, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the same, ret'- erence being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part oi' this specification.

rIhis invention relates to improvements in that type of musical orsound-producing toys in winch the breath is blown across a stretchedreed or membrane, so as to cause the same to vibrate and produce a.sound, and the present improvement has for its object to provide suchclass of toys with a simple, convenient, and etl'ective means forinstantly changing the degree of tension oi the sound-producingmembrane, so as to produce notes or sounds of a higher or lower pitch,at the will of the operator. I attain sucli objects by the construetionand arrangement ot' parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich'- Fig. lisa perspective view of my improved toy; Fig. 2, alongitudinal section of the saine, and Fig. S a transverse section atline .r fr.

Similar letters ol' reierence indicate like paris in the several views.

tci'erring to the drawings, A represents the frame or body of thc toy,preferably of wood,

but which may be of any other suitable niaterial, and ot' any desiredouter configuration, as the judgment or taste of the maker may suggest.Centrally in said body is formed an elongated passage or throat, a,extending through said body, and in which is arranged the extensiblereed or membrane Il, that is tixedly secured at one end in a recess, a",oi' the body A in any well-known manner. The other end, I), of saidmembrane passes i'reely through apassage, n, to the outside ofthe toy,so as to be grasped by the thumb and finger of the operator and enablethe tension of the membrane to be regulated so as to produce a sound ofthe desired pitch. lVhen desired, the free end Z) of said membrane maybe provided With a bead or projection, b, so as to enable the operatorto.more firmly grasp and hold the same. rIhe reed or membrane B ispreferably formed of a strip of elastic india-rubber, yet any othersuitable material can be employed instead without departing from thespirit of my`invcntion. The shape ot' the reed can similarly be modifiedfrom a ilat strip, as shown, to a round or other shaped reed, it'desired.

My device in use is intended to be placed between. the lips and againstthe teeth of the operator, and in order to render the same moreconvenient I form the back of the toybody A with a curved recess, C, ofa shape approximately that of the teeth. It is preferable to make theexit a" ot the passage or throat a ot a flaring or bell shape Vtor themore perfect discharge oi" the sound produced by the reed B.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A sound-producing toy composed of a body, A, having` a throat orpassage, a, and an extensible reed or membrane arranged therein andadapted to have its tension adjusted by hand, essentially as hereindescribed, and for the purpose set forth.

2. A sound-producing toy composed of a body, A, having throat or passagea., recess u, and passage ai, in combination with the reed or membraneB, one end of which is iixed, and the other end, lb, adapted to begrasped by thc hand, as herein described, and for the purpose set forth.

S. A sound-producing toy having the reed B fixed at one end and loose atthe other, and provided with the curved recess C at its back, as and forthe purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day ofOctober, 1885, at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois.

NATHANIEL BATES BALD VIN.

In presence of- ROBERT BUnxs, GEORGE H. ARTHUR.

